Wheel rim suspension



Nov. 24, 1953 P. G. GILBERT WHEEL RIM SUSPENSION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 171949 Nov. 24, 1953 p, GILBERT 2,6664213 WHEEL RIM SUSPENSION Filed June 1, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [3/ 1/42: 23 8/ /15, I ma y f 9 flw/rz/v 773R PHILO G. GHEJERT Patented Nov. 24, 1953 UNITED STAT ATENT OFFICE WHEEL RIM SUSPENSION Philo G. Gilbert, Seattle, Wash., assignor to Gilbert Wheel 1110., Portland, reg., a corporation of Delaware a Claims.

This invention relates generally to wheels and particularly to wheels, the principal use of which is at relatively high rotational peeds.

Reference is here made to my previous U. S. Patent No. 2,431,802, issued December 2, 1947, on a Wheel, and to my pending U. S. patent application, S. N. 48,068, filed September '7, 1948, new Patent No. 2,522,710 issued September 19, 1950, on 2. Wheel.

The main object of this invention is to provide an improved rim suspension system for a wheel used at relatively high rotating speeds whereby, although the wheel hub and wheel rim are apparently firmly and rigidly fixed in relative position, the mean connecting the rim to the hub will be sufficiently resilient in a plane perpendicular to the axle on which the wheel is mounted to allow the necessary slight movement of the rim relatively to the hub for each to rotate around its requ red axis.

The hub necessarily must rotate about the rotating center or the bearings on which the hub is mounted. but since its radius of gyration is relatively short, a slight unbalance of the hub member of the wheel will not usually vibrate the axle. However, the radius of gyration of the wheel rim is relatively long and an unbalance at the rim will cause a noticeable and disagreeable vibration of the axle if the rim and hub are rigidly connected.

This invention provides a means for connecting the rim of a wheel to its hub in a way that is both simple and easy, as well as inexpensive to construct and which is sensibly rigid but which at higher rotating speeds has sufiicient resiliency in a plane perpendicular to the axle to allow the rim to rotate approximately about its natural center of gyration.

When applied to the wheels of an automobile, this device results in a noticeably steadier ride than does the usual automobile wheel. When applied to a fly-wheel, this device result in a noticeably quieter running machine.

How the suspension of this invention may be constructed and applied in two specific forms will be understood from the following description referring to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an outside elevation of an automobile wheel equipped with one form of the suspension of this invention.

Fig. 2 i a broken view of the wheel in partial section along the line Z-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section along the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation in partial section of a fly-wheel equipped with a second form of the suspension of this invention.

Fig. 5 is a broken view in partial section along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4:.

Like numbers of reference refer to like parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, there is shown an axle it carrying anti-friction bearin s (not sho n), on which is mounted a hub comprising essentially a cylindrical bearing housing part II and a disk shaped radial web portion 12, to which is secured by stud bolts iii the disk shaped radial web portion M of an automobile wheel hub having an axially extending cylindrical outer memher It. Cover I5 is secured to housing member I l by cap screws ll and brake drum it is secured by welding to web I2.

Drop center wheel rim I9 is designed to carry a pneumatic tire indicated at 2B.

Welded to the under side of Wheel rim H! are wedge shaped solid members 2| having cavities 22 sunk into their radial faces. Hollow and generally wedge shaped members 23 formed with cross bridging elements 24 at their radial faces are welded to wheel hub member it. Steel strap tension members 25 are welded at their inner ends as shown at 26 to member 15, pass between the upstanding legs of member 23, under cross member 24 and, as shown at 2'1, are welded at their outer ends to wedge shaped members 2! and the under side of wheel rim is.

Socket headed, cup painted set screws 28 are threaded through cross members it and press against steel balls is set in cavities 22 in wedge shaped members 2!. Set screws 28 are set up tightly and uniformly in three or more positions around the wheel (5 positions shown) and by exerting uniform pressures on tension straps 25 tend to keep wheel rim i9 concentric with axle it}. When set up, set screws 28 are tack welded in place as shown at at.

In normal use, the wheel rotation is counterclockwise referred to Fig. 1. In this case, the torque of axle It is transmitted through the wheel hub, members 23 2 t, screws 28 and members 2! to wheel rim it. Due to the elasticity of the metal of which straps 25 are made and due to the geometry of the suspension, forces acting on rim 59 can produce equivalent though slight eccentricities in the relation of the wheel rim to the wheel hub and lessen the shock transmitted through the suspension to the axle. ihese forces may be road shock on tire it or may be the sentrifugal forces acting on elements of unbalance in the wheel rim and tire structure.

Slight motions of the rim, with respect to the hub, cause slight rolling motions of balls 29 which thereby eliminate what would be a destructive scrubbing of the points of screws 28 on members 2! if balls were not interposed between them.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate an application of the suspension of this invention to a wheel of larger size and haying a greater rim mass at a greater radius of gyration. Usually in use,.such a wheel will be rotating at relatively high speed and will be used Where it is desired to have the wheel in nearly perfect running balance. In ,this rcaseit is recommended that the suspension be applied to the wheel in cascade, or in'two or snore con centric layers, as shown.

Each layer of this suspension is essentially the same in every particular as the sirgleila ycr .sus pension of Figs. 1 to 3. Therefore, the drawings are not confused by adding numbers to the "parts which are sufficiently described in detail in the description ofiFigs. 1 to 13,. Z11) iiszmcreilyrnecessary here to point out that in :the suspension :91 Fi 44 andzgt-here is shown awheel hub sl lil ha l an outer cylindrical surface 5H5, :a .wheel -rim H5, and that :radially intermediate {the ;hub and ,25

:rim and spaced from-each of them ;is an equaliz- -ing :member i3! having :an inner surface 419a and an outer cylindrical surface I [5a. One com- .plete single suspension system as :shown in Figs. ;1 :to :is assembled -.as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, between hub surface 1 Hi .and equalizer surface 21511511 while another complete single suspension system 'is assembled "as shown between equalizer surface :l-5a :and ,-the inner surface of rim memher .418.

.Having thus shown and described two forms of the construction and use of wheels built in accordance 'with ;this invention, I claim:

1. In a wheel having ;a:hu.b member-and a rim imember radially spaced therefrom, said :hub member havin a cylindrical outer surface. a suspension system supporting said ,rim member 1011 said hub member, s id syst m comprising three or more suspension units circumferentially :equally-spaced in the radial space between said r 2. In a wheel having an inner hub member and an outer rim member radially spaced therefrom, said hub member having a cylindrical outer surface, a suspension system supporting said rim member on said hub member, said system comprising three or more suspension units circumferentially equally spaced in the radial space between saidlhub memberandsaid rim member, each of said suspension units comprisingga radially relatively flexible and axially relatively inflexible tension member secured at one end to said hub member and at its other end to said rim member and to approach said hub member tan- ;gentiallyito its outer cylindrical surface, and a compression screw interposed circumferentially between said'hub and rim members adapted to increase the tension on said tension member.

3. The device described in claim 2 in which oneend-of the screw has a threaded attachment to said hub member and the other end of said erewhaning a balland socket connection .tosaid :rim member.

4 A wheelcomprising a hub structure .and an encirclingrim structure uniformly radially spaced from said hub structure, together with three or rmore suspension units equally spaeedabout said hub structure securing said hub structure to said :rim structure, each of said units comprising a tension member strained tangentially of said hub structure between said hub structure and said rim structure and compression means strained between said hub structure and said rim structure adapted to maintainsaid tension member strained in its position :between ,said hub struc- 'ture and said rim structure, said compression means comprising a compression screw adapted to set said compression means in compression and thereby set said tension means in tension.

PI-IILO .G. GILBERT.

dteterences Cited in the file .of this p ent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 'Date 937,969 Stewart Oct. 26, 1909 1,276,679 Morgan Aug. 20, 1918 1,506,986 Miller Sept. 2, 1924 '1;630f920 Balogh May '31, 1927 1,643,248 Lawrence Sept. 20,1927 2,426,358 Klages Aug."26,l9i7 2 ,465,558 Toth 'Mar. 29, 1949 2,628,651 Gilbert Feb. '17, I953 

